Muster Roll #11 – Nick Babbage

Ink portrait of handsome bearded man
Dominic “Nick” Babbage, c.1781
Mr Dominic “Nick” Smith was born to a wealthy family in London around 1740. In order to secure future business dealings, his father married him off at a young age to a much older man named Mr Ellery Babbage. Ellery was kind to Nick, and mostly content just to have a handsome young man on his arm at parties. Over time, they grew genuinely fond of one another, though neither could truly say they were in love. After Ellery’s passing, he left Nick a large sum of money. Nick continued to use the name Babbage, and found it opened a lot of doors for him.

He discovered a love of teaching quite by accident. While helping a friend at a small private school, he ended up giving an impromptu talk to a class on the import/export laws of England. At his friend’s suggestion, Nick trained as a teacher.

In time, Nick met someone new and fell deeply in love him. His new lover was a businessman involved in the burgeoning horological trade of clockwork technology, specifically in regards to plumbing. This man swindled Nick out of a fortune and left him broken-hearted.

Looking to leave London and its bitter memories behind, Nick was delighted to be contacted by his uncle, Doctor Mark Greenaway, who mentioned that his local schoolhouse was in need of a new headmaster. In 1781, Nick packed his belongings and moved to the small island of Merryapple, in the Pell Isles.

In WE CRY THE SEA, Nick will discover what life in a small community really entails.

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